Ian Hislop on Boris Johnson, Piers Morgan and political satire | The News Agents

Ian Hislop, editor of The Private Eye and team captain on Have I Got News For You sits down with Lewis for an extended conversation about political satire in the modern era of the Westminster psychodrama, and what it was like to have contestants like Piers Morgan and Boris Johnson on his show.
#ianhislop #borisjohnson #piersmorgan #politicalsatire #News #Politics #NewsAgents #EmilyMaitlis #JonSopel #LewisGoodall
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Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall - three of the UK’s top journalists - host a brand-new daily news podcast: The News Agents.
They’re not just here to tell you what's happening, but why. Expect astute analysis and explanation of the day's news - and a healthy dose of scepticism and the ability to laugh at it all when needed!
Episodes are available every weekday afternoon.
The News Agents is a Global Player Original podcast.

[@blqeddie2946]

Ian Hislop is a national treasure!

[@bertplank9892]

Thanks Hislop bu these comments are for people who are not Hislop!.

[@yddraigoch]

national ? .............never admits that he was born in Abertawe, seems to always have a disdain for Cymru / Wales. Bit of a 'Dic Sion Dafydd' in that sense much like the boi 'Heseltine ="ych a fi, sef bradwr arall o Gymru"

[@patrickhorgan8389]

smug so and so.

[@nommag2383]

He's a National Treasure!

[@jasonperry8529]

Ian maybe but Lewis is most certainly not

[@johnhodkinson6042]

People who don’t recognise that a properly functioning democracy needs people like Ian Hislop, and magazines like Private Eye, to provide the checks and balances that keep such democracies functioning, and thus prevent them being hijacked by extremists, need to improve their understanding of the world.

[@Libertariun]

At the least to punctuate the windbags who lord it over us. (I left the autocorrect “correctile” deliberately)

[@williamford8027]

democracies the world is a banana republicrun by gangsters working for corparrations

[@gavinmcclement]

Why doesn’t Ian Hislop just say, ‘my job is to make fools look foolish, your job is to not vote for them’.

[@Mac-ku3xu]

Because he's part of the establishment and he's there to keep powerful people in power.

[@Phuc_Yhou]

Because the foolish following the fool have stopped listening to anyone but the fool, unfortunately fear is a more powerful driving force than common sense.

[@dannywatson9862]

😊

[@OhDearOhDear69]

Ian Hislop is my favourite political commentator, he is funny, cutting and he has a wonderful if sarcastic take. ❤

[@MarkStevens8899]

Wow your easily pleased

[@OhDearOhDear69]

@@MarkStevens8899 that may be true 🤣😅

[@Irishgui83]

​@@MarkStevens8899 you're*

[@MH-qy5hh]

@@MarkStevens8899 so why are you here?

[@andrewcockburn7484]

​@@MarkStevens8899who do you prefer?

[@Jericho642]

He’s unmatched at holding power to account; no bias, no agenda. If you’re dodgy, he calls it out. As it should be.

[@hammertic]

😮 Let's see if your comment holds true after a few months of labour government.

[@anarchords1905]

@@hammertic As an old man, who's had a fourty-odd year sub to P.E., I can assure you it will.

[@keithpanton7486]

@@hammertic He's never failed to go after corruption of any shade... just because most of it has been Tories, it doesn't mean everyone else has been ignored, it means Tories have been more corrupt.

[@hammertic]

@@keithpanton7486 Hope your right.

[@basstedson]

​@@hammertic he's been doing it for decades, not sure why anyone would expect him to stop now.

[@SuzanneO707]

Long live Private Eye. Always one step ahead. 👍👌

[@shora8478]

I thank the universe for this man! Private Eye is a public service.

[@keithpanton7486]

Fortunately, it isn't, or the Tories would have sold it off to Rupert Murdoch by now

[@Phuc_Yhou]

@keithpanton7486 With Piers Morgan as overlord and Ian placed under some archaic "new" gag order that Murdoch would push through Parliament 😳

[@TheSuzberry]

Ian is a hero.

[@PhillipHilton]

More Ian please.

[@davidallan5671]

I’m in Florida, became aware of hignfy and Ian about 2 years ago and have now watched all of the 66 series, they show on KZbin .absolutely awesome even though I’m not familiar with all the past scandals they deal with. Also Merton and lots of the guests are hilarious. Also caught up with the inquires and interviews Ian has done. Ab fab. Just caught ep 1 series 67😁

[@richardh8082]

@@davidallan5671 Welcome to satire and political sanity :)

[@AdrianNicholls]

Such admiration for Ian Hyslop. His contribution to a reasonable outcome in an insane society should be noted.

[@yancowles]

'Hislop'.

[@AdrianNicholls]

@@yancowles ‘pedant’

[@johnburrows3385]

Always a joy to hear this man speak.

[@simonbranton2420]

Ian Hislop is a pleasure to listen to love the way he criticises the posh elite long may he keep it up

[@thewoodster8607]

Of which Hislop is a member of himself. Wake up.

[@richardh8082]

@@thewoodster8607 And therefore its not possible for him to criticise it? I'm a teacher and I critique teaching & the school system, I'm a parent and I critique my ability to parent, I'm a member of a political party and I criticise my party, etc, etc....... Hope this comment doesn't offend, and maybe helps broaden your outlook? Thank you for reading

[@PaulSinghSelhi-VFX-TUTORIALS]

A living legend and his clarity and sincerity makes him not as easy to interview as one would imagine he would be.

[@ramblerandy2397]

You need to listen to the podcast of this episode. There are hilarious audio snippets of the past events that Ian and Lewis refer to. Also, I love the fact that Ian refers to Boris Johnson as a buffoon. Way back, when Johnson was just poking his head above the journalistic parapet, someone asked me my opinion of him. They had found him intelligent and wise. I said that I thought he was "a complete buffoon" [my actual words]. I've always been amazed that people can't see what was and is plainly obvious.

[@richardmiles21]

Similarly I used the word “buffoon” about J*hnson, at least a couple of decades ago.

[@ramblerandy2397]

@@richardmiles21 He-he.

[@30petlin30]

Hislop, amazing speaker. super intellect. joyful to listen to

[@heatherrawls6015]

Ian is a National Treasure

[@Toon89obamartins]

Love Ian hislop what a great guest

[@malcolmscott8588]

I like Ian hislop he doesn't let the so called elite get away with being idiots

[@mr.d.8121]

I agree plus the elite are not only idiots they take anyone who is not them , as idiots.

[@normasarsby1350]

Ian is an amazing artist and never needed to be vile to anyone to achieve his craft. He is a national treasure who speaks truth to power.

[@bobbrown674]

Hislop is a hero!

[@davidrobertson5996]

Always a pleasure to listen to Ian Hislop. Thoroughly enjoyed that, particularly his comments about Boris, even pre-Mayor.

[@bubsybrown8308]

I don't think Ian can be blamed for Borris because of his satire! Would like to hear more from him, great guest

[@simplySY8]

The only person responsible for borris is borris that's the problem

[@michaeladkins6]

@@simplySY8 Except for London mayor, Boris has been fired from every job he ever has. drumpf declared bankruptcy 7 times and lied to get out of the draft. People have too short of attention spans.

[@jimb9063]

Something happens that people didn't like, an explanation and scapegoat must be found. Not unlike when your team gets beaten it has to be the refs fault, rather than any deficiencies your team has, or how well the opposition played it.

[@angelanorton5975]

Thank goodness we have someone like Ian Hislop! Now if only HE would run for PM... 🤔

[@Libertariun]

Oh, you really are a glutton for punishment.

[@marionmclean3749]

Always worth hearing from Ian Hislop! 👍

[@Gary-le7dz]

Hislop just gets it right 99% of the time ….

[@sunseeker9581]

He always has the center left slant. Lets just say that section is far from perfect.

[@Gary-le7dz]

Hislop is centrist ….. like 75% of the uk

[@cas4554]

I love Ian Hislop❤ nothing more to say

[@Stewiereeves1]

I wish he would be on Question Time more.... As well as TV in general....

[@misterpwood]

Arguably, Johnson being on Top Gear was more egregious than being on HIGNFY.

[@buzzukfiftythree]

Agreed, and he certainly presided over a multi-car pile-up politically speaking.

[@shooglies]

Neither HIGNFY or Top gear are egregious or were responsible for calamity Johnson. The public were. They voted for him. They're to blame. End off

[@vickiep4217]

Londoners are to blame mostly as they voted him in as mayor - giving him power and publicity. TWICE.

[@brendaward5310]

What a funny, interesting , humble man ,

[@markendicott6874]

With the current crop of idiots and criminals in Govt, our politics IS a satire of a dysfunctional basket-case.

[@peterharland3825]

Ian has such a sharp mind, he is so many steps ahead of all the politicians and much of the media. But he tells it like it is!! Just keep on doing this please ……….

[@jeanmyers1787]

This man, Ian Hislop is a hero from Piers Morgan onwards.

[@philipsmith7913]

Golly, I’m sure Ian would never have anticipated becoming an icon of truth to power. Well done that man.

[@Hiltok]

Excellent.

[@t2twanks]

Ian Hislop is a legend

[@smithpm81]

love you ian H, never stop

[@alingard1]

Satire and humour are vital in politics. When you can laugh at something its finished. Politicians hate being laughed at far more than being argued with.

[@russellhouchin2640]

Simply the best.😊

[@rachelmoffat9650]

What an excellent interview, fascinating as always.

[@nemosays6337]

Ian is a legend!

[@PeterJensen1359]

Hislop is a gem

[@keithratcliffe4708]

Best show on tele. ❤

[@MrDylanofIslington]

The best journalist in this country by a country mile

[@BoyeeSmudger]

Absolute legend

[@andrewgoodall2183]

In 1990, I was a 19 year old an outdoor clerk for a solicitor on Holborn. I saw Ian Hislop sitting at a big table in the Royal Courts of Justice outside a courtroom shuffling papers. I thought "Wow, it's that bloke off that news show thing. They said on there he's going to court a lot." :)

[@pippoplfc]

One of the few posh blokes I really enjoy listening to.

[@jonathaneffemey944]

Thanks so much for posting

[@nearlysteviedan1275]

We need more Ian Hislops ..

[@johnrohde5510]

Re the Guppy thing, Paul Merton let Johnson off the hook by making one of his absurdist remarks to steal a cheap laugh from breaking the tension.

[@MrIvarlira]

These two are great!

[@JK_Clark]

Thanks to Paul Merton for bringing us a version of Ian Hislop who always looks for the truth and looks out for the public in GB

[@juliangilbert5465]

Have I Got News For You is definitely responsible for Johnsons success . Made him look lovable. They enabled him. They were used by him .

[@Mac-ku3xu]

They weren't used, they're all on the same team against the great unwashed.

[@Woofersgalore]

Hislop is phenomenal and his longevity in political commentary and satire is welcome and much needed…he remains relevant.An interesting interview…though Lewis’ flapping of his hands and arms were irritatingly distracting…..whilst Hislop contained his hands to a calm restraint which allowed his answers and comments to be delivered without distraction.

[@Ricimer671]

It was nice of the interviewer to allow Hislop to squeeze a few words in from time to time.

[@billfra]

Lewis was lost. No clue about the history of HIGNFY. Frequently rescued by Ian

[@baobo67]

Wonderful. Fell all around at P. Morgan's nonsense. Amazed but not surprised.

[@tonygair]

the amazing Job that Ian Hislop does should be being done by investigatory journalism which has been compromised by the owners of Newspapers in this country. Take all Newspapers out of private ownership. Ensure they are only listed as public companys.

[@martinholmes-ue9ko]

Interesting interview. Thanks.

[@juniorsgonewild]

Much as I love Ian he has a massive blind spot about new media and online content.

[@harrydebastardeharris987]

I used to get PE back in the early 70’s Grocer Heath days.It was an alternative to us young people and taught us to not take any Politician or people with far too much hubris seriously which I greatly appreciated and still do.

[@peterbarjonas2840]

So, Ian, there is Police Scotland on the one hand and the "British Police" on the other. Not quite but it's coming!

[@MissyGail4eva]

I would love to see a meeting of Miriam Margolyes and Iain.😊

[@sunseeker9581]

Strange meeting. Id say him & frankie boyle would be better

[@aeneasfrancois5636]

@@sunseeker9581 Frankie Boyle has been both a guest and guest host on HIGNFY

[@AlexWorrell]

@@sunseeker9581 OMG! Your comment has caused me to consider Frankie Boyle as being a combination of Ian Hislop's political instincts mixed with Miriam Margoyle's blunt profanity lol.

[@m1nfy]

There is a devilish camera oscillation on Lewis's camera at the start of the interview that messed with my head. That aside, it was a great interview!

[@fatley23]

Great show!,I always enjoy listening to Ian!,ps so many Trump references but no impersonations from Lewis!

[@repairupdaterepeat5815]

I'll be honest, the peak of HIGNFY was Angus' last show. It was glorious. I would love to have seen what was cut out

[@matthewprice7519]

His brother Shaka was great in goal for Newcastle

[@kieronrichardson8375]

Funniest thing I've heard today 😂😂😂😂😂

[@eugenio1542]

Thank Yous 😂

[@RidleyT]

He's not Jimmy Fallon messing up his hair, Ian Hislop has consistently shown Boris to be a lying, corrupt bafoon - the fact that people watched him host and then voted for him is wild!

[@FTZPLTC]

It's funny, Ian Hislop and Paul Merton are probably two of the most influential people in the UK, and certainly in UK politics. But they still kind of slide under the radar. I wonder if any politicians ever ask him for advice.

[@Rondoggy67]

The more we encounter something, the more we tend to prefer it, based on familiarity alone (mere-exposure effect). Politicians should not be involved in forms of entertainment, such as chat shows, quizzes or reality shows. They should only be platformed in the media when they are being interviewed about their political activity. I'd go further, and say that media figures and celebrities should be barred from standing for political office.

[@paulbo9033]

HIGNFY surely has to be one of the longest running shows in the world. I can think of Star Trek, Blue Peter, and there may be one or two others but its got to be up there. Someone should check this.

[@donmac7780]

Who rules this country, the native citizens or a foreign government that has never been our friend? 😡 😡 😡

[@janeday9148]

Hislop giggling is life affirming

[@Mooocheropordis]

Tragedy plus time equals comedy. So true

[@johnking5174]

Have I Got News For You represents the only satirical TV programme on the BBC at the moment and a complete lack of satire on the other channels, which is a disgrace. I remember growing up in the 1990s and we had the Friday Night Armistice, The Day Today, Rory Bremner, Spitting Image and even in the 00s we had Dead Ringers and Alistair McGowan. What do we have now - The Last Leg and HIGNFY both shows very long in the tooth and very boring at times.

[@graemem111]

I see what you mean, John, but disagree. Whilst the format of HIGNFY is old, I never find it boring. We still have Deadringers on R4. We have also The News Quiz. There’s also the true wonder of Jon Holmes’ The Skewer. Yes, they are all radio and it is awful that the ‘other’ channels have little output but then they really never did, compared to the Beeb. Take into account that a lot of comedy satire is now on podcast- Mark Steel’s excellent ‘What the f*** is going’ on being a perfect example - then I feel that we are well served. It simply isn’t piped through the gogglebox.

[@philippepalmer2968]

there's TheExplodingHeads with Colin from Portsmouth,Jonathan Pie,Larry and Paul with Broken News,Rosie Holt and Matt Green comedy that you can find on youtube

[@johnking5174]

@@philippepalmer2968 That was not my point. On main TV there is a drought of satire.

[@sunseeker9581]

​@@graemem111 its long past its sell by date. Frankie boyles new world order was far better.

[@johnevans2044]

We also, until fairly recently, had Nush Kumar and Co's brilliant Mash Report. But then the Beeb abruptly cancelled it; it looks like the government leaned heavily on the BBC to do away with it because of "lefty" political bias - in other words, it was too close to the truth about many of the conservative governments dubious policies and frequent cockups. Frankly, I'm surprised that HIGNIFY has managed to survive in the current political climate.

[@allanmcdowall6568]

And now we can see where borris and his fun have got us.😢

[@davidpickard9393]

Ian for PM

[@darrena2625]

Great interview, love Ian, but the vibrating picture made me quite ill.

[@vincetanczos]

Would love to go for a pint with hislop.

[@wagnergimenes]

I trust Ian unreservedly.

[@seanashmore8785]

Yes, Lewis, the media has failed.

[@adamthorntonillustration9281]

Failed so appallingly it beggars belief. The failure of the media to meaningfully hold corruption to account is a very serious problem for the public.

[@Squarer67]

The problem with journalism is not the work of the journalists. It is how much of that work the politically motivated editors allow the public to see.

[@abenaid11]

Now there is someone who should be in the Lords.

[@jgmediting7770]

There shouldn’t be a lords. Nor an exploitative economic system that leads to minority rule.

[@markgarrod4436]

👍👍👍

[@ClannCholmain]

15:27 Swift was Irish.

[@Neilhuny]

That was fascinating, though it led to pretty much the only time I have disagreed with Ian Hislop - re Boris Johnson "He wasn't a politician at the time; I don't know how many times I have to repeat this" ... an upper class, right leaning Etonian journalist at the Torygraph presenting amusing columns about the world as he sees it at the time IS political - I'm guessing he first appeared before announcing he would be a London mayor candidate? At least until the Torygraph employ Alistair Campbell or Owen Jones for regular opinion pieces at great expense

[@scotsbillhicks]

Milliseconds after Starmer gets in.

[@basstedson]

It is political but that does not make him a 'politician'. Holding political office does that and at the time he didn't.

[@Neilhuny]

@@basstedson Fair enough

[@bereal6590]

Can't stand trump, johnson, farage or morgan. They all stand for one thing, themselves!

[@MabDarogan2]

The English establishment is not British. It consists of a small number of English people with inherited wealth. It has almost reached the 1000 year mark. But literally nothing lasts forever.

[@winnisnov]

“. . . . . and they’re still there!” And getting worse? 😬

[@TheJase8566]

Ian is kinda responsible for Johnson. He platformed him and helped him appear personable

[@razzle1964]

That’s kinda true, in a broad sense. But, Hislop also warned us about him too. Seems a little harsh to both blame him AND have ignored him?!🤔😉✌️

[@johnlanham4050]

Angus!

[@markherzog9484]

Somehow, just ticking ‘like’ just seems so inadequate…….😂

[@pattyandbustershow1031]

Satire, so we can pretend our tears are from humour

[@scotsbillhicks]

When Dacre and Murdoch are called to account world leaders will line up to pay tribute. When Hislop goes I doubt any of them will even mention him.

[@barnaclefelching4079]

I hope that I've beaten TimKey here, but I doubt it

[@rosalindmartin4469]

NYC here. Love NNC + HIGNFY 😃🎆

[@gijgij4541]

Strobes strides on...

[@cgdimension]

my sadistic side is curious what would have happened if Truss had stayed in power to this day

[@jgmediting7770]

Growing inequality. Same as before. Same since.

[@williamford8027]

the establshment allways wins

[@bijoubloomsbury5667]

I wish Lewis sounded better read to match the calibre of Hislop.

[@Moondingo1980]

unsteady camera is unsteady